Red Brigade, a vigilante group of rape survivors in India. Photo: Al Jazeera
Overcoming the odds. This is what girls do. I read about it and experience it every day. But everyday I am still impressed by the indomitable spirit of girls.
When their future is controlled by others, they persist. An Afghan girls robotics team that risked their lives to come to the USA were finally rewarded with visas after an initial rejection by the US government. It took the whole world crying foul before they got fair treatment. But they get to go, and it will perhaps a defining moment in their lives.
The girls of the Red Brigade are defining their own lives. As teenage survivors of rape, they have trained and taken to the streets to fight back, literally. They “march along the streets in their red and black uniform, drag young men out of their homes and publically humiliate them for harassing women.” They also comfort and support other victims of sexual assault. Girls rescuing themselves is required.
Girls also rescue others. The School for Justice is a truly fantastic initiative that trains sex trafficking survivors to be lawyers in India. Typically sold by their families or kidnapped at very early ages, to come out the other side and want to help those still trapped is beyond admirable.
Truly brave and undaunted girls…inspirations for our our future.
Ashley E. Remer
Editor
Girl News International